


To Build a Home

by YumKiwiDelicious



Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Blended family, Family Feels, Kid Fic, M/M, Papa Peter, Parenthood, Science Husbands, established spideypool, grandpapas tony and bruce, papa wade, parker-wilson, super family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-05-24 20:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6165497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumKiwiDelicious/pseuds/YumKiwiDelicious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don't believe this," Peter seethed, whole body shaking as he stared down his husband. "You have a daughter!? How could you never tell me this?!</p><p>The Merc with the Mouth was infuriatingly silent for once and Peter fought the urge to fling him clear across the apartment as he shrugged. It was the most casual rise and fall of the shoulders that had ever been exchanged in their entire relationship. Peter nearly blacked out with rage.</p><p>"It must have slipped my mind," Wade muttered, hoping in every box available that he wouldn't need to regrow anything vital once this conversation was over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Girl Under the Bed

**Author's Note:**

> This story will almost completely diverge from comic cannon. If that's an issue, I understand and you can check out here.

“Eleanor! Eleanor, wake up!”

Ellie started from sleep, tired eyes blinking in the dark as her foster mother pulled her up from the mattress. Her voice was low, but frantic, her usual light-hearted and calm demeanor gone out the window as she hustled the brown-eyed girl out of bed to crouch on the floor. Eleanor was immediately frightened because Emily looked shaken and that had never happened before.

The strong woman pressed a piece of paper tight into her palm, her grip crushing on the girl’s fingers.

“You need to find your daddy, alright?” she whispered, “Go straight to your father. Don’t let them take you anywhere else, do you understand?”

“Emily, what’s going on?” Ellie asked, worriedly gnawing on her lower lip as a clatter came from the front of the house. She jumped.

“Do you understand?!” Emily repeated, not even flinching as something heavy crashed against their front door. She gripped Eleanor by the upper arms, looking into her eyes with terror and determination. The girl nodded and her Life-Model Decoy of a foster mother sighed in relief, yanking her into a brief hug. Cold lips pressed to her forehead. 

“Good,” she huffed, broad shoulders rising and falling as she pushed her charge away. “Now get under the bed.”

“What?” Eleanor blinked. “But why-”

“Get under the bed this instant, Eleanor Camacho,” Emily ordered, her no-nonsense voice in full swing as she aimed a finger between Ellie’s eyes. “And don’t you dare come out no matter what you hear, you understand?”

Ellie nodded, eyes wide as she laid down and scooted underneath her low bed frame. From her vantage point she could see as Emily stood, feet still secure in her favorite blue slippers, and then exited her room towards the front of the house. She broke her promise to stay put for a moment to scoot back out and grab her stuffed bunny off her pillow. With the well loved toy clutched tight to her chest along with the paper Emily had given her, Eleanor rolled back under the bed and lay still.

She couldn’t see much, but her hearing was stellar for her age and she flinched, shoulder banging the underside of her bedframe, as another loud something smashed into their door and the thing fell to the ground with a loud bang. She imagined she could hear Emily jump. Footfalls followed immediately after, a whole team of people rushing into the house.

Next she heard the familiar sounds of a struggle. A fight. Men grunting and panting as they came at Emily only to realize too late she was no ordinary foster mother. Emily’s brief shouts of rage and exertion seemed louder in the girl’s ears than all other noises and she focused on them desperately. Hanging on Emily’s every whirring movement to make sure she wasn’t slowing down

But then something shifted and she couldn’t hear Emily fighting the good fight anymore. She couldn’t hear Emily at all. With all the pained groans and heavy pants that filled the air, Emily’s usual clicking movements were strangely silent. Eleanor strained to hear but all she caught was the sound of heavy booted feet entering through the busted front door.

“Where is the girl?” The voice was deep and accented, filling the room like hot air and making it feel stuffy.

“Not here.” Eleanor perked up, a rush of relief going through her at Emily’s voice.

“Do not lie to me,” the voice warned, “I can make this night very unpleasant for both of you.”

“She’s not here,” Emily insisted, her cold calm returning when push came to shove. “I sent her to Charles when I heard you were looking for her.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“You don’t have a choice. I guess you shouldn’t have sent your little psychic pet away.” 

The deafening sound of crushing metal made Eleanor tremble as it grated against her ears. Her teeth chattered, her nails dug into her bunny, and her knees knocked together beneath her unicorn nightgown. It cut off as quickly as it had began and a large, heavy, gnarled heap of destroyed machinery fell to the ground in front of the girl’s open bedroom door apparently having been flung through the air like a piece of crumbled paper. Eleanor recognized Emily’s favorite blue slippers in the dark.

She swallowed a gasp and squeezed her eyes shut telling herself it wasn’t real. It wasn’t real, it wasn’t real.

“We’re finished here,” the unfamiliar voice stated, the sound of several bodies exiting signaling that he had called a retreat. Eleanor stayed put, knowing the house wasn’t truly empty as the heavy boots made their way up the hallway.

Ellie held her breath as they entered her line of sight, a pair of long legs crouching down over them to leer over her foster mother’s deanimated body. She still could not see the man’s face, but a long purple cape dragged the floor behind him and his hand was glove clad as he reached out. He flicked a bit of Emily’s synthetic hair away from what had been her face and stared into her black optic lenses.

“You should have handed her over years ago.”

He stood and turned and was gone within the span of the girl’s next breath. 

He never even searched the house.

Eleanor thought about getting out from under the bed, but she was frozen in fear aside for the occasional tremble. Emily had told her not to move no matter what, but she hadn’t said what to do in the event that the danger left leaving nothing but the crumpled, empty shell of her foster mother behind. She stared out from under her bed into the hallway and wondered what time it was.

It was some time in the wee hours of the morning, she knew that much from the way the sky outside wasn’t pitch black like it had been when she went to bed. She knew the intruders had caused a ruckus, but she didn’t know if it had been enough to wake the neighbors. The front door had been blown off it’s hinges and a chilly breeze rolled through the front rooms, leaves occasionally tumbling across where Eleanor could see. Across Emily’s favorite blue slippers.

She hugged her bunny and waited.

She talked to herself quietly like Emily had taught her. She told herself that someone would notice the busted door and call for help. She told herself that even if that didn’t happen Emily would have had another plan in order to keep them safe. She told herself not to sleep.

The hours passed.

8 o'clock rolled around, heralded by Emily’s shrill alarm clock that she could hear through the wall just like she did every morning. It beeped loudly for five minutes before turning off. Ten minutes later it repeated the process before shutting off entirely. Apparently they were sleeping in today. The sun glinted off Emily’s hardwiring and put a glare right over Eleanor’s eyes so that she couldn’t even try to sleep. The bed was too close to the ground for her to roll over and give the hallway her back.

The hours passed.

She was telling herself the rather harrowing story of how her bunny had been present and lent a hand in the battle of New York when the sound of several vehicles pulling up outside grabbed her attention. Tires screeched, engines cut off, and doors were slammed. Quick, rushing steps approached their ajar front door and a voice began barking out orders.

“Let’s start a perimeter and get the neighbors handled. Agent Preston’s transmission said the girl would still be on the property so let’s fan out and find her. And someone clean up Agent Preston’s LMD.”

“Yes, sir!”

The next few minutes was just Eleanor listening as people ran around her home, going into rooms and yelling ‘Clear!’ before returning to the front. One set of feet even came to her room, throwing back her covers and checking in her closet before declaring the room empty and exiting without checking under the bed. As they exited, Ellie saw three figures crouching down and hefting up Emily to be carted away. Tears pricked her eyes for the first time during the whole ordeal and she sniffled loudly against her bunny.

It was a small noise, but it was enough.

The next thing she knew a body had dropped to her floor and there was a gun aimed at her face. She froze like Emily had taught her.

“Sir! I found her!” the young woman who had drawn on her called, immediately reholstering her weapon as she made to reach for Eleanor. The girl flinched back into the darkness of her hiding spot. “Don’t worry, you’re safe now. I’m agent-”

“Agent May, stand down.” The commanding voice from earlier came into the room and the woman disappeared with a wave of brunette hair that swept the floor as she stood. In her place came a smooth faced man in a finely pressed suit who stretched out flat on his stomach, clearly not armed on his front as he brushed his jacket out the way, exposing his sides. Eleanor wondered if he had done that on purpose as he fixed her with an open expression, lips pursed as if in thought.

“Eleanor Camacho?”

She nodded.

“I’m agent Phil Coulson,” he told her and her shoulders, which had been tensed for hours. eased slightly. Emily had always been very adamant about not talking to strangers, but this Phil Coulson was no longer a stranger because she knew his name. “Can you tell me what happened?”

With a quiet voice and surprisingly precocious vocabulary, she recounted how her guardian had woken her in the middle of the night and told her to hide under the bed before confronting a group of unknown intruders that left her a messy pile on the hallway floor. Agent Coulson listened intently the whole time, his foot soldiers gathering in the room around him, none commenting on how their director had his head nearly all the way under a child’s bed. When Eleanor finished speaking the thin haired man nodded.

“Mr. Lehnsherr was always a bit too serious for his own good,” he commented, almost conversationally, “He would never think to look under a bed because he couldn’t imagine himself hiding under one.” He spared the boxspring a glance. “But it’s the perfect spot for a little thing like you isn’t it?”

Eleanor just stared at him.

He stared back.

“Eleanor, is there anything Agent Preston-...Emily gave you? Something important that she may want me to see so I can help you?”

With arms more tired and cramped than had she realized, Ellie held out the folded bit of paper Emily had pressed into her hand all those hours ago. Coulson took it, unfolding the document right there on the floor to read. His eyes swept the info, going back and back multiple times to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. He didn’t look happy. He sighed a tired sigh and looked back at the girl under the bed.

“Someone get me a phone,” he called over his shoulder, “I need to get Wade Wilson on the line.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quickfacts about this chapter:  
> Eleanor is meant to be 4 in this chapter but also extremely smart and developed for her age.  
> Pretty much everything that happens to her in the comics is meant to have happened in this story, but within the first 3 years of her life so she has very little memory of it though she is aware Wade Wilson is her father as well as Deadpool and sees him frequently enough when he visits. It'll become more clear as the story progresses.  
> Sadly, Magneto and Professor X will be in the Stewart timeline for this story, not the MccAvoy timeline  
> I imagine Amandla Stenberg as Eleanor  
> And Emily as being portrayed by Uzo Aduba. Like she's the perfect Emily to me.
> 
> I have so much more to say , but I don't want to get carried away. You don't know how I much I had to hold myself back in the tags.  
> I'm very excited to get this story really going. It's inspired by another work but I won't say which until the end because it would spoil the outcome.


	2. The Merc With The Mouth

Agent Coulson carried her out of the house even though she told him she could walk on her own. He said it was just for her own safety, that there was a lot of glass and debris on the floor and he didn’t want her to cut her bare feet. She put her arms loosely around his neck, still holding tight to her bunny as he hurried out of the house, flanked by agents on either side.

Outside it was bright and she squinted, eyes having adjusted to the darkness beneath her bed. Her neighbors were finally out, though some of them looked decidedly dazed. As if they weren’t sure why they were outside, staring at Emily’s destroyed front door, to begin with. None of them paid her any mind even as she was hustled off by a total stranger. They’d never really paid her any mind at all.

He put her in a different van than Emily’s pieces and asked if she needed a car seat. She lied and said she didn’t, folding her legs up under her nightgown and settling into the cool leather of the SUVs wide backseat. They were in the car alone.

When Coulson got into the car, he had a voice in his ear and was talking in rapid whispers with someone halfway across the world. Outside the window Eleanor watched her neighborhood zoom by and began to wonder why she hadn’t been packed a bag. Emily never let her go anywhere in her pajamas. She thought about bringing this up to MIster Coulson, but he seemed busy and Emily had always said not to distract someone while they were driving. She settled down in her seat, toes not reaching the car floor.

Falling asleep was the natural progression of things considering how long she’d been awake and under such stressful circumstances. She slept for the entire ride to a secluded landing pad out in a restricted area of the Arizona desert. She woke to the noise of a quinjet engine cradled in Agent Coulson’s arms. His suit jacket was thrown over her like a blanket and she squinted up at him against the heavy wind of the jet.

“Are we going to my daddy?” she questioned, not having forgotten what Emily had told her to do. Coulson kept his eyes forward as he walked them away from the SUV.

“We’re on our way to him now.”

“Where’s bunny?”

The man’s low curse was not missed by Ellie as he doubled back at a light jog to pull the backseat door open. Reaching in, he grabbed her bunny and secured it in her arms before pulling back and slamming the door. They headed back towards the jet and Eleanor again pondered why the agent had not thought to bring along some of her clothes or at least a pair of shoes so she wouldn’t need to be carried everywhere. Even once they were inside, surrounded by several busy looking people with clipboards and headpieces, he wouldn’t put her down because he claimed the floor would be too cold for her feet.

She watched everything pass by them from a higher viewpoint than she was used to and ducked her head a bit every time someone stopped to acknowledge the agent in charge as he walked calmly through the hallways with a child held to his chest. A woman fell into step beside him, barely sparing Eleanor a glance before beginning to speak at length about the goings on of the past few hours. Ellie tried to keep up but some of the language was even too advanced for her and she figured the woman had done this on purpose so that she would be kept out of the loop.

“If we’re lucky we’ll reach New York within three hours,” she concluded as Phil stopped beside an inconspicuous door. She had her hands folded behind her back as her eyes dropped down to Ellie once more. “The mercenary will likely be waiting for us.”

“That was the plan when we contacted him.” Phil seemed unconcerned.

“Sir,” the woman sighed with a flippant roll of her eyes, “With a record like Wilson’s is it really the best idea to put him in charge of a child? There’s more red in his ledger than there is on his suit.”

“Agent Preston had total legal charge over the girl which she signed over to Wilson, the girl’s biological father, before her...” Phil glanced down into Eleanor’s large eyes and shook his head rather than continuing with that line of reasoning. He turned back to the woman.”Besides, he’s cleaned up his act ever since becoming associated with Peter Parker. With him in the picture, what’s the worst that could happen?”

The woman looked unimpressed.

“Don’t worry so much, Maria,” Agent Coulson soothed casually, readjusting Ellie in his arms. She felt herself nodding off again. “We’ll have 24/7 surveillance and it’s only temporary.”

The two agents exchanged a few more words that went right over Eleanor’s nodding head and then Phil was entering the room behind the door. It was a sleeping quarter. A very plain one with no windows or doors apart from the entrance. The man in the suit crossed the tiny space in a few strides and laid Eleanor out of the bed. She hummed lowly. The mattress was surprisingly soft. He took a knee by her head and she met his gaze with peculiar scrutiny. He smiled.

“Get some more rest, Eleanor,” he suggested. ”When you wake up we’ll see your daddy.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. She drifted off with the bunny clutched in her rigid fingers.

Waking up the second time she felt much more rested and opened her mouth to call for Emily before recalling the events of the morning. She clammed up after that and spent the whole jet landing just staring at the wall of the room Agent Coulson had left her in. She stared at the wall and she thought about Emily.

She thought about Emily and the sound her body had made when that man crushed it somehow. She thought about the light cracking in the wood floors after her junk metal had been tossed down with a clang. She tried to think about the good times, like Emily had taught her to do when she was sad, but all she could imagine was her last encounter with her foster mother. The brief conversation played again and again in her head as the quinjet touched down and the whole thing shuddered. She chewed her bottom lip.

The door was pushed open with no warning and she thought about how mad Emily would be that someone hadn’t used their manners and forgotten to knock. Turning over she saw Phil Coulson reaching out to pick her up again. Maria stood at the door, a gun on her hip and a man at her back. Eleanor didn’t know enough about reading rooms to say the situation was tense, but no one really seemed comfortable except for her and her bunny. Mister Coulson didn’t forget to grab the stuffed animal this time as he hauled her into his arms.

“Daddy’s here to get you,” he informed her, voice somehow already strained with having to deal with Wade Winston Wilson even though they had yet to disembark. “You’re going to go with him for a little bit, but we’ll be by to check on you tomorrow.”

They were out in the hall now making their way towards the sunlight.

“Are you going to rebuild Emily?” the young girl asked plainly, curly hair out of sorts from being lain down at so many odd angles that day. Coulson raised a brow at her. “I know she was a robot.”

“She was...a bit more complex than that. It’s going to take time to make her perfect again. It may be a while.”

“She doesn’t have to be perfect. Emily says no one’s perfect.” The agents had no response for this. The chill from outside was now sweeping right over them. “How long is a while?”

“I’ll let you know,” the agent promised, donning a pair of sunglasses as they stepped out into the daylight. “Look who’s here.”

Eleanor twisted around to spot a familiar figure arguing heatedly with a black clad member of the jet’s team. She hadn’t seen her father in four months and the last time she’d seen him he had been in his Deadpool costume, but she’d know his wildly expressive hands anywhere. She didn’t shout to him because Emily said that shouting was rude, but Maria whistled sharply and the tall man with a hoodie pulled over his head turned. His scars looked angry in the sunlight.

“Ellie!”

After a swift kick to his opponent’s shin, he ran toward her, arms held out. She returned the gesture and when Coulson easily transferred her from his hold to her father’s her chest suddenly felt heavy with sadness. She clung to him, bunny between them, as she started to cry. Really cry. The kind of crying Emily said only happened when your body was fine, but your heart was hurting.

“Daddy!”

“I’m here, princess,” he soothed, gloved hand running down her back repeatedly as she blabbered wetly about how scared she had been and how Emily would be gone for a while and she wasn’t sure how long a while was and how she didn’t have any shoes and Emily didn’t like her to be out of the house in her night dress. Wade listened to every hiccuped complaint, swaying ever so slightly as his daughter tried to talk herself down from her own delayed panic. Her whole body shook and he gripped her tightly.

“Mr. Wilson-”

“Whatever it is, it can wait, Agent Uptight,” Wade hissed, cutting the usual string of profanities that accompanied Coulson’s nickname disturbingly short in the presence of tiny ears. Maria Hill bristled behind her friend and coworker, whole body screaming ‘This is what I was talking about!’. “I need to get my kid home.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about, Wade,” Coulson trudged on, not worried at all with the withering look the merc was shooting him, “Where exactly will you be keeping Miss Camacho?”

“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t have my address on file, you jack-...butt.”

“So you’ll be having her live in the home you share with Peter Parker?” If Coulson was smiling about the merc’s mouth being severely censored, it was no one’s business but his own. 

“Peter Wilson-Parker to you, but yes,” Wade clarified, switching Eleanor to his other arm. The movement sent the bunny tumbling from her grasp, but he caught it effortlessly, handing it back to the girl who hugged it to her before resting her head on her father’s shoulder. Her tears had settled into little more than wet sniffles. Her daddy wiped her cheek absently.

“So the spider knows you have a daughter?” Marie prompted, slender eyebrow raised incredulously. Wade glared.

“Could you not stick your nose in my business so much, Elsa? K, thanks,” Wade snapped with a roll of his eyes before leaning in for a stage whisper. “That was me implying you’re a total ice queen which men hate. Ya know-” He waved his finger vaguely towards his crotch. “-freezer burn and all.”

“Wilson-!”

“What agent Hill means to say,” Coulson cut in, trying to keep the conversation civil for the girl’s sake, “Is that you don’t think Eleanor’s sudden appearance will upset Peter?”

“I’ll deal with Peter.”

“Or maybe he’ll deal with you.”

“Thank you, Maria, why don’t you start getting us ready to go?”

Maria Hill was professional enough to conceal a scoff as she nodded and made her way back towards the jet, a team of young agents on her heal. Eleanor watched her go curiously, thinking that she may actually like Miss Hill even though she hadn’t seemed too nice. She reasoned that sometimes her daddy didn’t seem too nice, but that he actually really was. Emily had always told her to give people the benefit of a doubt and a second chance at a first impression, so she tucked her opinion of Maria away to be edited at a later date. Coulson turned back to father and daughter.

“She has a point, Wade,” he huffed, folding his arms behind him. His suit jacket pulled back and Ellie saw he now had a weapon holstered on his belt. “Peter may be a bit put off by news like this.”

“I’m sure Baby-Boy will understand.” 

Wade didn’t sound too sure. Ellie pat his back comfortingly as Coulson shrugged.

“Alright then,” he conceded, “She’s all yours. But we’ll be checking in regularly, Mr. Wilson.” 

Eleanor could tell from the way her daddy rolled his eyes that he wasn’t concerned with Mister Coulson’s words which had sounded more like a threat than a promise. He nodded, officially dismissing the suit from his site as he turned to Ellie, all smiles as he brushed her cheek again.

“Think you can walk, sunshine, or you want me to carry you to the car?”

“I can walk.”

Eleanor glanced up at Phil as her father set her down to see the agent looking absolutely scandalized as her bare feet touched the asphalt. It was cold and she did a quick footed dance as she grabbed her daddy’s hand, her bunny clutched in the other. She had to look way up at the two men now. She asked her daddy when he had gotten a car and he laughed lightly telling her he had picked it up on his way there. Coulson did not look amused.

“Always good to see you, Uptight!” Wade sang sweetly, one finger raised to salute the director as he began to turn away. “I’ll tell Petey you asked for him.”

“Eleanor.”

She turned back, nightgown whipping around her legs as the wind blew by. The man that had found her under the bed took a knee in front of her and she saw herself reflected in his sunglasses. He held out a small card.

“I’ll be around, but if you ever need me just call this number.” She took the card in the hand that held her bunny and nestled back into her father’s leg. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Camacho.”

“Goodbye, Mister Coulson.”


	3. The Spider

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not read the Deadpool comics so I don't know the exact circumstances under which he met Carmelita Camacho except that they were held captive in a perilous situation and she thought she was going to die. Bare with me through the shoddy background details.

Most people would be surprised how easy it was to live a relatively normal life while still carrying on as one of the several superheroes that protected New York City on a daily basis. Managing to find, lease, and comfortably inhabit a quaint brownstone in Brooklyn with your husband would seem like the most improbable thing in the world, but Peter Wilson-Parker, nee Parker, had managed it quite well for the last five months. Their home was decidedly on the grid and yet no crazed scientists or thugs with a grudge had come to destroy it. Yet. His hopes were high that they may actually get to live out their lease without incident. 

The place was just big enough for him and Wade and had an extra room incase any of the team ever wanted to crash for the night. It had never happened before, but Linda and Cooper Barton had spent more than one late night in there playing games with Peter while their parents went on a well deserved date night. He kept the room tidy. Having a spare room made him feel very adult, no longer having to live in a cramped one bedroom. Pooling funds with Wade had been a smart move.

He’d just finished making himself a sandwich and was tossing the bread back in the fridge when the front door opened. He smiled, having wondered when Wade would get back from the sudden mission he’d been called on the day before. He was never really worried anymore. Wade couldn’t die and he hadn’t killed anyone for a while. He just missed the foul mouthed man whenever he was gone.

“Hey, Baby-Boy.” He was surprised to see the older man out of uniform when he came in, but thought nothing of it as he approached and placed a wet kiss on his cheek. “I got a car.”

Alarm bells started to go off. However, quietly.

“Why?” Peter raised an eyebrow. “Dad always sends us transport for missions if we need it.”

Wade had his back to the younger man, top half buried in the fridge as he rummaged for left overs. “Yeah, but what if we wanted to travel inside the city?”

“We walk, or I swing us.” Peter crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing! I just thought a car may be more...secure.” 

“Did you pay for it?”

The scarred merc withdrew from the fridge empty handed figuring Peter had either tossed or eaten his chimichangas while he was away. The boy was giving him a very suspicious glare and even though he knew it was justified, he took on a wounded expression. 

“Why, Petey, I can’t believe you would accuse me of grand theft auto!”

“So you did pay for it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Wade-”

“Peter.” The unmasked hero blinked at the unmasked antihero’s tone. Wade rarely got serious and especially not outside of life or death situations. Peter’s life or death that is. His brain kicked into overdrive as Wade took his hand and he began to imagine all manner of villain that could be on their way to Brooklyn right then to destroy their domestic bliss and ensure they never got their deposit back. “I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?” He let his husband lead him to the living room area and perched at the edge of the armchair his dad had called gaudy as Wade took a knee before him. “Wade?”

“I haven't been...completely honest with you about something.”

“Have you been killing people again?” It was a natural assumption to make and while he could feel disappointment bloom in his chest Peter knew there were worse things Wade could be telling him. Still, he didn't like the idea of the man lying to him about giving up the whole killing-for-money business and so let his brows furrow to convey this feeling, but Wade shook his head. 

“No, no, you know I gave that up when we got together, cutie.” He sounded as sincere as he ever had and so Peter shrugged, giving the man in the hoodie a serious side eye from his perch on the chair. 

“Well then what?”

The silence that followed was so thick with tension he was sure Scott would have tactlessly pointed out that it could be cut with a knife had he been present. The regular sounds of New York in the middle of the day filtered in through the window and Peter thought helplessly about how he should have closed it before sitting down. It was getting cold out after all. 

“I have a daughter.”

He shivered. Wade had still had his hand in a loose grip, but he pulled away from it now, slender fingers folding over each other in his lap. His mouth turned down at the sides as he tried to figure out if he had heard his husband right. His hearing was pretty amazing so he doubted he could mishear someone at this proximity, but he figured no one could sue him for hoping. 

“What?”

“I have a daughter,” the unmasked Deapool repeated, “Her name's Eleanor and she-”

“WHAT!?”

“I was wondering when you'd shout.”

“Not the time Wade!”

The spider had stood at his own exclamation, the gaudy armchair pushing back dangerously but not toppling over. Which was lucky since it would have knocked into a chair of the dining table Aunt May had gifted them. Even in his rage Peter carefully skirted around all their furniture, which had either been paid for out of pocket or given as a gift at their nuptials, to stand in the relatively clear area of the entry way. He had his arms crossed over his chest not only as a defense mechanism, but to keep himself from trying to web his husband to the ceiling. 

“How did this happen?” 

“Well, when a man and I woman love each other very much-”

“WADE!”

“Look, I know this sounds crazy, but I can explain.” Wade finally took to his feet but kept a safe distance from his spouse. He figured the couch between them wouldn't act as proper protection if Peter decided to make a dive for him, but it was all he had. He couldn't duck under the coffee table, he was too big. Plus it had been a gift from Al which meant it was poorly assembled and couldn't withstand any jostling. They didn't even set magazines on the thing. 

“Start talking,” Peter spat, trying to choke down the tears of frustration and betrayal that were threatening to start welling in his brown eyes. He couldn't stand crying in front of Wade. It made him feel childish and like his arguments were severely crippled by the fact he couldn't keep his emotions in check. Still as his jaw ticked and his teeth ground together he started to consider all the aspects of his life with Wade that could have been a lie up until this point and couldn’t help the way his eyes prickled. “How old is she?”

“Four.” The spiders hackles rose and the tears really were about to come until Wade began to backtrack, waving his arms frantically. “When she was born we’d only been together 6 months! Petey, I swear to Thor I did not cheat on you! I met her mom on the last mission I went on before I gave up merc life.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“I'd never lie to you, Baby-Boy.”

“You've been lying for almost five years! You've known about her this whole time and never said anything!” 

Wade didn't try to defend himself and Peter felt his last shreds of calm slipping through his fingers. He was red with rage and choked with hurt, fists clenched as he kept telling himself not to shout. The neighbors didn't need to know what was going on. 

"I can't believe you," he seethed, whole body shaking as he stared down his husband. "How could you never tell me this?!”

The Merc with the Mouth was infuriatingly silent for once and Peter fought the urge to fling him clear across the apartment as he shrugged. It was the most casual rise and fall of the shoulders that had ever been exchanged in their entire relationship. Peter nearly blacked out with fury, the only thing keeping him upright being the extreme push to turn and exit without a glance back. 

 

"It must have slipped my mind," Wade muttered, hoping in every box available that he wouldn't need to regrow anything vital once this conversation was over. And praying even more desperately that he would not be going down to the courthouse to have his name changed back to simply Wilson. 

He knew he had wronged Peter. He could feel it in his gut as he watched the younger man pace like an animal caged in their impossible situation. He just hadn't been able to work up the courage to tell him the truth when Carmelita had appeared on his doorstep only a year and a half into the best thing that had ever happened in his miserable life. He was crazy but he wasn't stupid and he hadn't been about to risk Peter leaving him. 

So he'd kept Carmelita and Eleanor a secret. Even when Carmelita died and Eleanor was kidnapped he kept it to himself. He saw the tiny child handed off to Emily and visited as often as he could get away with under the guise of going on kill-free missions. His last visit had been right after they returned from their short lived honeymoon, crime deciding it could not wait. He'd told his daughter all about Peter but had never breathed a word about her to the boy standing in front of him, figuring he could keep her a precious secret forever. 

He'd been so wrong. 

“I'm sorry, Petey.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

It was frankly shocking that Peter was even still present and hadn't stormed out yet, so Wade took the chance to tell him everything. Sleeping with Carmelita when she thought she was about to expire. Realizing Spidey could expire and deciding to doggedly pursue him until he'd finally given in and agreed to a date three months later. Carmelita showing up with a one year old baby girl 18 months after said date and then promptly being kidnapped. How he'd fought tooth and nail to get them both back but had been too late to save the woman but not too late to save the girl. Handing Eleanor off to Emily but keeping regular tabs on them right up until the morning prior when Phil Coulson himself had called and said Emily had been compromised. 

Peter listened to everything and with his damnably good heart immediately wondered if the girl was alright. If she'd been fed when S.H.I.E.L.D had picked her up or if she had a warm enough coat for the drastic change from Arizona to New York weather. Wade said she needed somewhere to stay, but he didn't say for how long and he began to wonder if the spare room he was so proud of was actually suitable as a permanent bedroom. 

There was so much to think about suddenly that he'd never thought he'd need to think about before. When you're only 21 you don't really consider child care. When you're a man married to another man you really don't consider it. It wasn't as if there were going to get any surprises. Until now. 

He closed his eyes with a sigh and a shake of his head. Wade had finished talking and was looking at him expectantly. Hopefully. 

“I need to go.”

He realized he could have worded it better but then told himself rather coldly that Wade deserved a little panic in his life for everything he'd just saddled on the spider. 

“What-!”

“I'm just going to see my dads,” he assured, moving towards their bedroom to gather some things. Spectacles, testacles, wallet, and watch. Wade watched him from the door. “I need some time to think.”

“Peter-”

“Where is she now?”

He kept his eyes fixed on the ex mercenary’s chest, waiting with disturbing calm until the man moved out of his way. He headed to the front door, messenger bag thrown over his shoulder with his laptop tucked safely inside. He had some research to do.

“I left her with Bob while I came to talk to you.”

The youngest Avenger stopped just short of the kitchen counter, whirling around with wide brown eyes. 

“Bob the Hydra agent?” Wade nodded with a shrug because what other Bob did they even know and Peter just sighed. Reaching out blinding he plucked his keys out of the bowl and turned towards the door again. “You should go be with her. I'll call when I'm ready.”

He didn't look back. He didn't slam the door behind him. He locked the tumbler on auto pilot and went at a light jog down the stairs. His breathing was damp but he absolutely was not sobbing and he worried his thumb nail as he reached the front door to their building and began talking lowly to himself. It was a habit he’d picked up from Wade that drove his father up the wall to no end.

He repeated a steady mantra of ‘don't panic, don't cry, don't panic, don't cry’ as he headed in the direction of the subway. His dads were all the way at the tower in Manhattan, but he soothed himself by saying they would know what to do when he got there. They had to, they were dads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief summary of the background timeline I imagine to clear up this chapter
> 
> -Peter became Spiderman, met Deadpool, and started dating Gwen Stacy at 16  
> -Gwen Stacy died the next year when he was 17; around the same time Deadpool met and slept with Carmelita  
> -3 months after Carmelita, Deadpool convinced Spiderman to go on a date with him  
> -6 months later Eleanor was born unbeknownst to Wade. By this point he and Peter are in a serious relationship and have revealed their secret identities  
> -12 months later Carmelita comes and reveals Eleanor to Wade. She is killed in all that mess not long after and Eleanor's life becomes very exciting until Wade rescues her and settles her with Emily  
> -Over the next 3 years Wade visits Eleanor regularly.
> 
> Ok? Ok!


	4. Getting Settled

Catching the train, getting to the tower, greeting all his aunts and uncles, and asking his dads if he could speak to them in private was easy enough. But as he settled against his bespectacled father’s arm and watched his mustachioed father pacing an hour after he stepped out into Stark Tower, he questioned how smart he could really be if he'd expected this whole encounter to be easy.

“This is the day I've been waiting for,” the head of Stark Industries stated animatedly, “Leave him, Peter.”

“Tony,” Bruce chided at the same time Peter gave a plaintiff whine of “Dad.”

“I'm serious,” Tony insisted, returning to the couch to sit on his son's other side, arm flung over the back to incase both him and his husband. “Leave him and move back in here with me and papa. It'll be like the good old days before you ever met that deadbeat.”

“You mean back when I was a kid,” Peter grouched since he'd technically met Wade, as Deadpool, when he was sixteen. He shrugged off his fathers’ arms, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “Guys, this is serious. What am I supposed to do?”

“I just told you what to do!” Tony said, ever the long suffering parent that no one listened to as Bruce carded his fingers through Peter's unruly locks.

“Peter, a child is a big responsibility,” he reasoned smartly, all calming techniques in full effect as he tried to not imagine his baby raising a baby. “You and Wade haven't even been married a year, do you really think you're ready to be parents to a four year old?”

“Of course he’s not, he wasn't even ready to get married,” Tony cut in earning unimpressed looks from the other two. Peter was used to these kind of declarations from his father and so ignored it in favor of standing to pace the area in front of the couch as he’d been doing on and off throughout his retelling of Wade’s return.

“We’ve never talked about kids before,” Peter admitted, thumb snug between his front teeth once more as Tony made his way to the bar and Bruce settled further down into the couch. The two men figured their son was far from done talking this out and so prepared themselves to get comfortable. “I mean, what superheroes do?”

“We did,” Bruce piped up, managing to look slightly amused as Tony nodded and raised his glass slightly. Peter glanced between the two. “We decided that we could handle a kid on top of taking care of the city.”

“...And?”

“We were wrong,” Tony threw in lightly, waving off his son’s eyebrow raise with a shrug. Bruce looked ready to protest but simply huffed and settled back down when he saw Tony was not finished. “I mean sure, we got there eventually, but at the beginning it was a juggling act where nine times out of ten something was getting dropped. Once or twice it was you.”

“You dropped me?”

“Dum-E caught you-”

“Listen, Peter,” Bruce finally cut in, shooting his husband a silencing glare as he took to his feet and walked around to Peter. He placed a heavy hand on the boy’s shoulder, moving it to the back of his neck in a comforting squeeze. “We weren’t ready, but no parent ever really is. There’s a lot of things you’ll have to learn by doing.”

“But I don’t know if I’m ready to do those things.”

And that’s what it came down to. The Amazing Spiderman didn’t know if, at 21, he was ready to co-parent a four year old little girl that had already had a life pretty out of the ordinary. He wondered frantically who was he to take on the responsibility to make sure this tiny human was safe and sound until she was at least eighteen, but likely longer considering how often he still looked to his dads for the answers. He questioned how two men, one of whom had stolen a car just the day before, could dare to call themselves fit to raise a child.

“What if I’m no good at it?”

“Hey.” 

Peter honestly had hoped Tony would not butt in again, but the man talked right over Bruce’s answer as he came from around the bar, thick arms folded across his chest. Peter stared at where the arc reactor had once glowed liked a nightlight and chewed the inside of his cheek. His mouth was twisted in a frown and he scratched at his temple. His dads of course knew this was his attempt to distract from on onslaught of tears and they sandwiched him between them, Tony dropping a kiss to his hair. 

“I don’t know if you’re particularly ready for this-” The other two frowned at him, “But, I know for a fact Wilson couldn’t pull it off alone. With you by his side...who knows? The kid may not end up totally screwed.”

Peter’s laugh was watery as he let the two men coddle him a bit longer. Tony only spoke up once more to state he wasn’t saying Peter should do it, just that he wouldn’t suck at it. Because he’d been raised by two literal geniuses and so of course was capable of taking care of one average child. Peter nodded his understanding, leaning further into the group hug as Bruce once again pushed a hand through his hair. It always worked to sooth him.

“I still need to think about it,” he mumbled to himself, cheek on Bruce’s shoulder as the scientist hummed in agreement. “Could I stay here for a few days?”

“You don’t even gotta ask, buddy.”

While Peter was reacquainting himself with his old room Wade was sprawled out on Bob’s couch in Brooklyn Heights, arm thrown over his eyes. Eleanor was sitting on the floor in front of him with Bob reenacting one of his particularly nasty encounters with the infamous Tiger Shark. The young Hydra agent, not clad in his usual green and yellow, used old toys of his own and an impressive array of sound effects to show the girl how he, along with her Daddy, had defeated the villain in the nick of time. Eleanor listened with rapt attention, bunny clutched to her chest, not noticing how her father rolled his eyes at every embellished detail.

She wouldn’t have really been able to tell even if she had been looking at him since he was in full on Deadpool attire, not willing to let Bob see him truly relaxed even as he shared belly time with the other man’s offspring. Eleanor was used to seeing her father in his suit and didn’t pay it any mind since she knew plenty of people didn’t know about his scars or were just put-off by them. It would have irked her, if she knew what irked meant, that so many people were willing to judge her daddy’s book by his cover, but Emily had always told her people like that needed kind thoughts sent their way so that they might send them on to someone else. Still, she didn’t mind her daddy without his mask.

Father and daughter had been at Bob’s apartment since the day before, stolen car parked half way onto the curb on the street below. Wade had explained to Eleanor that Peter would need some time to get her room ready, but he was very excited to meet her. If he’d done some detail embellishing of his own in that conversation, she didn’t need to know that. He dared to think he could get this day to go somewhat smoothly when his personal phone beeped on the table. 

He sat up. Only three people had that number.  
One was sitting in front of him, the other was scrap metal, and the other had managed a very calm storm out of their shared apartment just a few hours ago. Only one person it could be then.

_Get her settled in the spare bedroom. I’m staying at the tower for a few days._

Short, simple, to the point. Just how he loved to describe his Petey. Wade shot back a barrage of texts he didn’t expect an answer to. There was five more apologies, at least three declarations of love, one hopeful invite to dinner, and an obscene amount of obscene emojis. He clicked send and stood with a stretch. As usual his sudden movements put Bob on edge and the Hydra agent scooted back on his rear as Deadpool stooped to swoop up his daughter.

“Alrighty, time to go, sweetheart,” he sang, “Say goodbye to Uncle Bob.” As usual he ignored the blonde man’s several stammered questions as he made his exit just as abruptly as he’d made his entrance. Ellie waved politely over her father’s shoulder, wishing Mister Bob a good day as Wade threw the door open right into the agent’s face stopping only to lean back in the now bloody nosed man’s personal space. “Oh and, Bob? Tell anyone about my little girl and I’ll slice your balls off and let her wear them as bronzed earrings. Take care now!” 

“Daddy, when can I meet Peter?”

Ellie’s question came when they were already on the street again, people jumping back in shock as they saw who they assumed was Spiderman walking down the street with a child in his arms and katanas on his back. Wade waved jovially, a put on pep in his step as he skipped them down the block. In his head he was wondering what sort of emotional mine field Peter had set up for him in the few hours he’d been gone. He had said Eleanor could have the spare room, but not how he felt about it or about her or about him and Wade had questions. Lots of questions. How long was he going to be at the tower? Was he going to move out? Were the Science Husbands going to come and kick the shit out of him? Did he deserve to have the shit kicked out of him?

Yes. Definitely. He knew that answer straight away.

“Very soon, munchkin,” he assured, ducking out of the more populated byways to skip behind some buildings on his way to their brownstone, Ellie giggling with every jump. “The room’s all fixed up. Now he’s just spending some time with his daddies before he comes to meet you.”

Eleanor had leaned one arm over her father’s shoulder, her head propped up on her fist as she watched him. She’d always been a keen observer, much to Emily’s dismay some days, and though her daddy could stills sneak several things by her, she knew when he wasn’t exactly telling the whole truth. Lying by omission. That’s what Emily had called it.

“Is he mad at us?”

Wade stopped short, the painful charlie-horse he gave himself fading almost instantly as he twisted his head to get a good look at his daughter.

“Hey,” he mused, taking her down from his shoulder. The alley they were in didn’t look particularly crack den-y so he set her down on the ground, making sure her bare feet weren’t near anything sharp. The coast was clear as he yanked his mask off, bald head catching the sunlight when he looked down at her. “He’s not mad at _us_ , okay? He’s mad at _me_. Don’t go thinking any different, Eleanor.”

The girl didn't reply, simply let her father pick her up again and chat her ear off the rest of the walk back to the cozy little brownstone she would be calling home, mask now securely back in place. As soon as they stepped inside she decided she liked the place. It was cozy and there was a lot of neat stuff lying around. The walls were pretty bare, as was the fridge and the last Camacho wondered why her daddy didn’t have any drawings up before making an internal decision that she would take care of that from now on. She figured if she helped decorate Mister Peter may warm up to her faster.

She could recognize the stuff that belonged to her dad. The gun holsters, the Hello Kitty duffle on the counter, a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers near the couch as well as a few other odds and ends. But there was just as much stuff present that she figured had to belong to the frequently mentioned and loudly absent husband her father was so keen on. A healthy collection of books on a shelf in the corner and a well worn hoodie thrown over the back of the couch definitely didn’t look like things Deadpool would keep lying around. There was also a pair of running shoes she had nearly tripped over on her way in that looked too small for her daddy’s feet. 

Yes, two people obviously lived here.

And now it would be three.

Wade showed Eleanor around the place like an overly animated and yet grossly underpaid tour guide, describing each room, its main use, the personal feelings that had contributed to it’s decorating choices, and who spent the most time in there. He spent the most time in the living room cause he loved watching Golden Girls and Peter spent the most time in the kitchen because he thought himself a pretty decent cook and claimed they couldn’t live on taco take-out every night. Some rooms, like the bedroom, got polite edits to the description of their main use since the merc figured it wasn’t prudent for a four year old to know just how much he loved taking his young husband to what he crudely referred to as pound town much to aforementioned husband’s annoyance.

“That’s just where me and Petey-Pie sleep,” he offered up instead, hurrying her along to the next door. “And this is where you’ll sleep.”

The spare bedroom was smaller than the room she had had with Emily, but it was still nice with lots of spare space for her to play on the floor and a closet that had never been used. She took a look around as Wade began to mentally purchase a few new things. She’s need a toy chest and maybe a little writing desk. Any books she had could go in the bottom nook of the bedside table and a fluffy carpet probably wouldn’t hurt the atmosphere. This, he finally realized, was what Pinterest was for as he mapped out how he would turn this spare room into his daughter’s bedroom for the time to come. She had already done her best to look right at home, hopping up onto the bed, dirty feet swinging beneath her.

“I like it.”

It was perhaps the first good thing he’d heard all day and he jumped onto the bed with her, earning a giggle as he launched her into the air and asked what color she wanted to paint the walls. He’d clear it with Peter of course when he came home, but for now it was just the two of them. Until Coulson came by to drop off a few boxes of Ellie’s things from Arizona. He didn’t comment on Peter’s absence and Wade didn’t offer any explanation as Eleanor thanked the man and began digging around for her Hawkeye action figure. Coulson left with a promise to be in touch and it was just the two of them again. Plus some surveillance devices Deadpool was sure the agent had left. He couldn’t find it in himself to be bothered by the fact. 

A week went by.


	5. Back to Stay

“I’d just like to go on the record one more time as saying this is nuts.”

“Tony…”

Bruce’s long suffering sigh was punctuated by Peter picking his head up from where it had been resting rather heavily in his hands. The little family was sitting in Peter’s home in Brooklyn, each of them spread out in an attempt at casualty. Peter sat in the middle of the couch, Tony at the dining table, and Bruce was leaning in the kitchen. None of them looked particularly comfortable, but the youngest man present was determined to make the coming confrontation as calm as possible. For his sake as well as Wade and Eleanor’s

“Yeah, dad, you’re really not helping.”

A week had gone by. 

A week that he spent under his fathers’ metaphorical wings as he tried to sort through the recent personal upheaval he was facing. Not since being bitten by a certain radioactive spider had he been so conflicted and terrified as to what turn to take next on the road of his life. Like with the spider, he had no way of truly telling what could happen no matter what choice he made. Unlike with the spider, he wasn’t afraid to turn to his dads for guidance. The two scientists had been surprisingly supportive and impartial. Tony, of course, had hinted once or twice that there was still room at the tower for him, but besides those few brief comments had made it clear he trusted Peter to make his own decisions.

So a week had gone by and he’d decided to go home. With his fathers in tow.

He didn’t bother alerting Wade to his return since he hadn’t bothered communicating with him at all during the week besides the text to get Eleanor settled. He felt genuinely bad about that. Outside of missions, the two super humans had never spent this much time apart since exchanging vows, especially without talking, and Peter had found it a bit hard to sleep in a bed alone. Hense why he’d been dozing with his head in his hands when Tony had made his offhanded remark to the room at large.

Luckily, the sound of a key turning in the front door kept him from biting back at his father any further. He tensed, heart jumping into his throat.

The door opened only partially, Wade obviously freezing when he spotted Bruce in the kitchen smiling benignly in his purple button up. The mercenary didn’t have any weapons on him, else they’d immediately have been drawn at someone in his home uninvited, so Peter decided things were already going rather well.

“Are you here to Hulk out on me?” He heard his husband’s voice from the hallway. “Cause I’ve got a kid with me and that’d be super shitty of you.”

“Language,” Tony scoffed. He was still out of Wade’s line of site, as was Peter, but the brownstone resident called a jovial greeting that was clearly put on and a gloved hand shot into the apartment to wave.

“I’m not here to Hulk out on you, Wade,” Bruce assured in what Peter and Tony called his Soothing Doctor Voice. “I’m here to show my _son_ ,” he nodded to Peter, who felt momentarily betrayed at being outted until recalling he’d been the one to plan this, before turning back to his son-in-law, “Some support. We both are.”

Wade had instantly pushed the door fully open once he realized Peter was in the room and froze as he set eyes on his husband for the first time in a week. Peter stood, hands twisted awkwardly in the pockets of his hoodie like he was still a gawky high schooler. His shoulders were hunched up as if he were trying to make himself look smaller and bigger at the same time. He waved lamely and Wade waved back, out of uniform again and scars on full display. Peter liked seeing him this way.

“Hey, Baby-Boy!” he greeted, going for relaxed but instead landing on manic with his tone. Peter winced, but returned the other man’s rather hysterical smile before clearing his throat and glancing towards the door. No one else had walked in.

“So,” he intoned lowly, “ Where is she?”

Wade, who’d been momentarily lost in the spider’s chocolate brown eyes, was confused at first before recalling the tiny person he’d left standing just outside the doorway. With one giant step back he was over the threshold and looking down and just to the left of his door. Eleanor looked back up at him with wide eyes, back still pressed against the spot he had pushed her when he thought they had an unknown intruder. He smiled the brightest smile of the week and brought a hand down to guide her inside by the shoulder.

“Peter,” he began in a jaunty pitch, “I’d like you to meet my daughter, Eleanor Camacho.”

In years to come Peter Wilson-Parker, nee Parker, would deny that he had gasped and immediately fallen in love with the girl because he was a superhero as well as a full grown man and neither became wrapped around the finger of tiny things they’d just laid eyes on. He took in her petite stature and thought about how she was going to be short when she grew up; probably no higher than his chest even in her teens. He wondered rather cluelessly how he was going to take care of her hair which floated like a dark cloud all around her little brown face with it’s little round nose and suddenly he was worried. So worried. Worried something would happen to her and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself when it did. Panic shot up into his chest and he did what he always did in such moments. He turned to Wade.

The former mercenary recognized the franticness in the younger man’s eyes from when he’d first seen his daughter and just smirked because he still couldn’t believe he’d had a hand in creating such a heartbreaker. He squatted down to Eleanor’s height, subtly signalling Peter to do the same. The spider fell to his knee with a painful ‘thud’ on the hardwood and Ellie got a good look at him.

“Eleanor, this is Peter. Remember I told you about him?”

“Yes.” Her voice, small and silvery like a bell, made his hands sweat with fear. She observed him openly and he tried not to look too stricken by her eyes. They were quite large. “You’re daddy’s husband.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Are you back to stay?”

“If that’s okay with you.”

If one so young could be described as looking pleasantly surprised then that’s how Eleanor looked. Suddenly feeling shy, she nodded and fell back into her daddy’s chest, hand up near her face as she smiled cutely. Peter could have sighed like a contented cat, but he was too busy watching as Ellie caught sight of something over his shoulder and blinked.

“Who are they?”

Peter glanced behind him to where his fathers stood, Bruce giving an encouraging nod of his head while Tony looked surprisingly enamored with the girl tucked under Wade’s chin. He sympathized with the feeling and smiled back at Ellie.

“Those are my daddies,” he explained, “Would you like to meet them?”

The girl gave a brave nod of her head and, without anyone needing to take her hand, walked right up to the Hulk and Ironman. The men of the house watched her go, Wade keeping a discreet eye on Bruce as he kneeled down to greet the girl. Tony was still looking nonplussed as Ellie turned her face up at him and asked unabashedly if he still had a light bulb in his chest as her daddy had told her. Wade may have given her a watered down version of Ironman’s rise to even greater power than Tony Stark already possessed. The two geniuses were smitten with her already.

Peter had intentionally not followed, keeping he and Wade at a distance as he turned back to the mercenary who was looking pretty happy with the situation until he caught the look on his husband’s face. His smile fell like the Dow Jones and he followed the man without question to the mouth of the front door which still sat ajar. The two men huddled in the doorway sharing air.

“Never again,” Peter whispered, voice taut. “Don’t you ever keep a secret this big from me again, Wade, or I swear to God I’ll leave you.”

“I get it, Spidey,” Wade assured, eyes wide and sincere. He loved the way Peter kept glancing back into the apartment to check on Ellie, already so attentive to her even when he was trying to have a stern talk with her father and when she had two more superheroes right at her side. “I swear I’ll never pull something like this again.”

“You better not.” He ended the sentence by wrapping the taller man in a tight, nearly bruising, hug. “I hate being angry at you, it’s exhausting.”

Wade’s bark of laughter was grating to the ear, his damaged vocal cords making the sound harsh, but Peter enjoyed it just as he had enjoyed every laugh that came before and let his body finally relax as Wade returned the hug with fervor. It had been a long week.

The embrace was short lived, however; Tony calling them back to join the conversation from near the couch. The two men turned, both letting their eyes immediately glance down at Eleanor. Still intact. They looked back up at Tony who had his finger pointed at the girl currently occupying Bruce’s knee.

“This child is a mutant.”

“Dad!”

Peter wasn’t sure he’d ever been so embarrassed or incensed by his adoptive father. Everyone in the room apart from Eleanor seemed vexed by the man's impromptu announcement. 

“I'm serious! I guarantee by the time she's ten she's going to present with some sort of power. Perhaps super smarts.”

“You don't have to be a mutant to be smart,” Bruce huffed with a roll of his his eyes, standing with Eleanor still in his arms. The small, possible-mutant seemed very taken with the man her daddy had told her turned into a green rage monster, giggling openly as he made silly faces in her direction. Tony looked irked at having his scientific prediction brushed aside but didn't push the issue any further as the tiny family squished together beside the rickety coffee table. Eleanor took a look up at all the men surrounding her before focusing on Peter. 

“Do I have to call you daddy too?”

Peter’s frantic “No!” was nearly drowned out by Wade’s spirited “Why not!?” and Tony and Bruce's simultaneous strangled gasps. The second youngest person in the room turned a nervous eye on everyone present before reaching for Eleanor with open arms. The girl went easily and was light in his hold.

“You don't have to call my daddy,” he explained gently, “But if you ever wanted to that would be really nice.”

The two shared a quiet moment, brown eyes locked as Ellie considered the man's words carefully. She turned back to her father for input and was met with a supportive smile and a wink. She turned back to Peter. 

“I'll think about it,” she decided with a diplomatic nod. The gathering chuckled at her mature nature and Peter returned her nod amicably before passing her off to Wade. “It’s good that you’re back, Peter. Daddy was no fun all week cause he was sad you were gone.”

“Okay, you’re done talking,” Wade grouched good-naturedly, setting the newest resident of the apartment down on the ground so she could take Peter to the room that was now hers, tiny hand slipped into his much larger one. She chatted animatedly as she showed him all the new things her daddy had bought her during his absence. A whole set of Avengers action figures so that her Hawkeye wasn’t lonely anymore, a new bedspread featuring Doc McStuffins, matching Spiderman and Deadpool plushies, a whole closet of dress up, play, and everyday clothes, and a bow for her bunny who they had decided together should be called Ben.

“His full name’s Benjamin, but it’s Ben for short,” she explained, holding the raggedy thing up for Peter’s inspection. He turned the stuffed toy this way and that, taking note of the spots where his fur had been loved off. He passed it back, Ben’s blue bow silky over his fingers.

“I like that name.”

Peter was genuinely surprised at all the good Wade had done for his daughter in the week and touched by the bunny’s no doubt carefully chosen name. Looking around the room there was a lot more there than the curly haired girl even realized. All sockets not in use were covered with brightly designed duct tape, there was a step stool next to the bed as well as inside the closet, the lamp they’d resigned themselves to leaving broken was lit with a new bulb, and it looked as if Wade was getting ready to paint if the blue tape on the wall borders was any indication.

The spare room really had transformed into _her_ room.

Peter liked it.


	6. Some Party - Part 1

There had been a time, Eleanor didn't remember when, that Emily had called her insatiable. The way her foster mother explained it, Ellie took it to be a word that described someone who was never happy and she didn't think that applied to her at all. She was happy living with Emily, perhaps even very happy. She was of course always thrilled when her daddy came to visit and what her story books defined as ‘over the moon’ when she'd first heard about the kind hearted young man he had married. 

So if insatiable meant a person that was never satisfied or content then Ellie was sure that she was certainly not that. Especially once she was settled in the cozy apartment with her daddy and Peter because even though she missed and thought of Emily often, it was actually pretty fun living with super heroes. The two men were attentive and caring and always very apologetic when they had to leave her suddenly in the care of Mister Bob to go stop bad guys. Which was pretty often. The way Peter complained about it, they hadn't been able to find a proper preschool for her yet because every interview with a potential was interrupted by some calamity. Whatever calamity meant. 

So most days, instead of spending time with other children, Ellie ate breakfast with her daddy and Peter and then they found something fun to do before someone off in a different borough tried to rob a bank or something of the like. That usually happened around lunch time. They were always back in time for dinner though and then they’d tuck her in for bed. Peter had been back a week and Ellie liked him more and more all the time. Not just because he made her daddy smile, but because he made her smile as well and always made sure she had shoes and wasn't outside in pajamas like Emily had. The two of them had gotten very close. 

Which was why he was the one that walked into her room to find an empty bed one morning. 

“Eleanor!?”

His frantic voice stirred the girl under the bed from sleep and she yawned loudly. Peter dropped down to his belly and found himself face to face with his husband’s child. He heaved a giant exhale and Ellie could tell he was relieved from the way he rested his forehead to her fuzzy carpet. It was around 8 o’clock. 

“Good morning, Peter.”

“What're you doing under here?”

“I had a bad dream,” she whispered, Ben the bunny held tight to her chest as she recalled the flashes of Emily being flung to the ground accompanied by the sound of grinding metal. She'd had the dream every night since the man in the cape and gloves came looking for her and found hiding under the bed as she'd done in the actual situation calmed her some. 

Peter gave a sympathetic hum, settling down more comfortably on his front, hands under his chin. 

“Did it scare you?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you come wake us up?”

She shrugged. 

“You can always come sleep in our bed if you have a bad dream, okay?”

She nodded. Then she reached out her arms so the young man could drag her out from under the bed with a low grunt. Through the wall they heard the tell tale curse as Wade stubbed his toe on the dresser like he did every morning and decided it was officially time to get up. It was Saturday and Ellie knew they had a long day ahead of them because it was going to be the day she finally met the rest of the Avengers. 

Bruce and Tony had stopped by often throughout the week, usually with small gifts for her, and they talked about their teammates warmly. Said they were all very excited to meet her and had planned a big party at the tower just for her. Ellie was already feeling a bit shy about the whole thing and knew her daddy was too. He'd rarely been allowed in the tower. Still, they were both prepared to put on a brave face for Peter who spoke about his family and team with much fondness. 

He explained how his Aunt Natasha seemed scary but was actually very easy to talk to and a lot of help with most things because she was so smart. How his Uncle Clint and Aunt Laura had kids a bit older than her that she could maybe stay with over the holidays. Uncles Steve and Bucky were apparently very old fashioned, not that she knew what that meant, and cousin Wanda would no doubt be thrilled to meet her. 

There were others too. 

Thor and Jane and Sam and Rhodey and Happy and Dr. Helen Cho. There was going to be an evidently very impressive woman named Pepper who Tony spoke highly of. Hank and Hope Pym and Scott who had a daughter as well. They also mentioned a peculiar girl named Darcy, but didn't say whether or not she'd be in attendance. Either way, it was sure to be very crowded. In a good way. 

All day Peter told her funny stories about the people she'd be meeting, only stopping when she'd started to choke on her chicken nuggets at lunch from laughing. The next few hours were leisurely, her daddy starting an enthusiastic game of hide and seek which lead to her clinging to Peter’s back as he crawled up the walls and out of her father’s reach. This eventually had to stop as well after she'd let go and fallen from the ceiling. It had been into her daddy's waiting arms, but Peter still called the game quits. 

Just as the sun started to go down there was a knock on the door and then Bruce and Tony let themselves in. Ellie barely heard her father’s irritated questioning as to how they got a key as Bruce scooped her up with a friendly greeting. Eleanor giggled, used to this behavior from Bruce after the several visits from him and his husband. He was amazingly kind and had a soothing voice that Ellie quite enjoyed hearing read one of her story books right around nap time. He informed her that the day's story would have to wait, however, since it was about time for them to start getting ready to head for the tower. She agreed after receiving a pinky promise that he would read her two stories the next time around.

She got a bath, her daddy and Peter dumping warm water over her head as she splashed in the bubbles. Surprisingly enough Tony offered to fix her hair and he put two braids down the sides that met in the back and let the rest hang naturally around her shoulders. She liked how it looked and that her curls were kept out of her face so she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. He practically beamed. After that Bruce picked out her clothes and helped her dress in the black leggings and extra long green sweater that Emily had bought her a few months prior. With a pair of tiny brown boots she was ready and ran out into the living room and right into her father’s arms. He was in his Deadpool costume.

“Do you have to wear that?”

“Outside of you three, most of SHIELD’s lap dogs haven't seen my face yet,” Wade answered as he checked Ellie up and down. She would need a jacket. 

“I'm almost positive Natasha’s been in here while we've slept,” Peter mumbled in reply, pulling on his own coat as the tiny family got ready to go. He grabbed Eleanor’s off the rack. The others were already at the tower and Tony was a bit miffed to be missing his own party even if it wasn't being thrown for him for once. 

After locking up, Peter having to remind Wade to grab his fanny pack of ‘just incase’ weapons, they all hurried downstairs and into the limo Tony had waiting. Eleanor was beside herself. She'd never ridden in something so fancy before and had several questions about how the extra long vehicle worked in comparison to normal ones like Emily had had. The four men answered her many inquiries to the best of their abilities, a pleasant comfortableness settling over the car as they rode along. It was a long drive and traffic didn't help, but it was still nice and Ellie was glad she had the opportunity to share the experience with her daddy and Peter and Peter’s daddies. By the time they got to Manhattan she was nearly all talked out, but then she saw Stark Tower and a whole new line of questioning began. 

How tall was it? 

Was it the tallest building ever?

What kept all the lights on? 

How many lights were there? 

Did people live in it? 

Did Peter ever live in it? 

What did people do in such a tower?

Tony of course was delighted with all the attention from the tiny human and so kept her on his hip as they entered, talking ebulliently about all the different features that he had designed to make Stark Tower the most impressive tower in New York City and possibly the world. Ellie soaked all this up like a sponge, filing away fun facts to ask more about later and making little mental notes about things she would maybe ask Peter to explain better. Some of Tony’s words were too big for her to understand. And she didn’t know what an arc reactor was.

It wasn’t until they were in the elevator going up, up, up, that Eleanor began to feel nervous. Emily had never really taken her to meet anyone, always worried there would be another Butler incident. She’d been to preschool and so had met other children and a few adults that way, but this was a bit different. She wasn’t worried about any of the new people secretly being villains that would kidnap her or ask her if she knew all her letters, but she was severely worried, for whatever reason, that they wouldn’t like her. And if they didn’t like her, maybe Tony and Bruce wouldn’t like her. And if _they_ didn’t like her, maybe Peter wouldn’t like her. And if Peter didn’t like her, then maybe her daddy wouldn’t like her.

It was a slippery slope of thought that ended with her standing stoically between her daddy and Peter, a hand in each of theirs, and staring at the floor sadly. Her tummy ached.

The elevator doors dinged open. 

Her eyes started to water. 

“The guest of honor has arrived!” Tony sang, stepping out of the elevator with a flourish, Bruce following with more composure right behind him. The room fell silent. “Everyone, allow me to introduce Miss Eleanor Camacho.”

Tony stepped aside and she was able to see all the faces looking down at her. There were so many of them. She hid her face in her daddy's leg. 

“Ellie?”

She stepped around his tall frame to hide behind his legs. 

“‘Scuse us,” she heard Peter say before the sound of the doors sliding closed again reached her ears. She was still pressed flush against her father's legs, arm having wrapped around to hug his thigh. “Hey,” the unmasked man soothed, “What's wrong?”

Peter's voice came from right near her ear and a soft hand began to rub her back. She sniffled, turning around and letting go of both men as she stuck her nose in the air. Emily had told her once this pose kept tears from falling. 

“What if they hate me?”

Her father took a knee by her side, masked face at eye level with her own. Peter was also on the elevator floor. 

“Princess, they'd have to be crazy to hate you!”

“Well, what if they're crazy?”

“Then I'll knock some sense into them.”

“Wade…” Peter rolled his eyes at his husband’s matter-of-fact reply, shuffling in closer to the little girl as she sniffled again, not feeling very comforted at all. “Eleanor, I'm sure everyone's going to really like you.”

He sounded sincere but Ellie still hesitated. She turned to her daddy, tiny eyebrows drawn together in thought. 

“If they don't will _you_ still like me?” she asked him seriously. Even with the visits, her daddy had probably spent more time with these people than with her so he may decide he liked them more. But he looked insulted that she'd even suggested it. He put a hand on either side of his face. 

“Of course!” he squacked, waving his arms wildly. Her lips quirked just a bit. “If they don't like you then it'll just be you and me! Deadpool and Ellie against the world!”

She gave a full smile now because that sounded amazing. But it faded quickly because just the two of them meant no Peter. She turned to the younger man and caught him looking thoughtful before he met her eyes. They shared another quiet moment. One of what she hoped would be several. 

“Will _you_ still like me, Peter?”

“You know I will, Eleanor.” 

Emily had told her once you could tell if someone was being honest from the look on their face. Ellie had never really known if she understood that, but looking at Peter she thought she might. He didn't look like he would lie to her. So she took his hand and her daddy’s again and let them stand up to reopen the elevator doors.

Everyone was still standing there. Looking at her.

But she wasn’t so nervous anymore.

“Let’s try that again,” Wade laughed over the slightly awkward silence. Hefting Ellie up into his arms, he pulled Peter to his side and addressed the room in an almost obnoxiously loud voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Eleanor Camacho!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how I imagine Ellie's hair looking http://naturalcurlybeautiful.tumblr.com/post/98413711825 
> 
> Headcanon: After meeting Ellie, Tony did tons of research and got kind of awesome at styling natural hair and eventually Wade takes some lessons from him and gets equally good while Peter just sticks to the basics like buns and pig tails
> 
> more stuff BUT I'M FORGETFUL!
> 
> p.s. realized I have a Ms. Camacho working with me. Died.


	7. Some Party - Part 2

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

Deadpool let his string of curses putter off into nothingness as he tossed his empty magazine at the wounded man now trying to limp away from the fight he had started. The bit of metal hit the moron right in the back of the head and he tumbled to the ground, crying out in pain as his no doubt shattered femur shifted under his weight. Wade crawled towards him, legs not fully regenerated yet.

All around him Tony Stark’s entertaining room was in shambles, bullet holes in every wall and not an ounce of alcohol left in an intact bottle. Wade had to drag himself through broken glass and bullet casings and all manor of food that had been dropped in people’s hurry to take cover just to reach the last man standing. He was panting, a bit exaggeratedly, as he crawled up on the black clad stranger, not even bothering to roll him over as he sunk his handy knife hilt deep into the back of his skull.

“Anyone know this asshole?” he ground out, lifting his knife with the guy’s head still stuck on it to show around the room. “Anyone?”

“Probably Hydra,” Bucky Barnes offered from the lip of the broken out window where he had just dragged himself and Steve back to safety after being accidentally smacked out of the opening by the Hulk who was currently being brought down by a rumbled Natasha.

It had been a party. To welcome Wade’s own daughter into their little fucked up family. And someone had crashed it. Multiple someones in fact. The room was a wreck and the team, while clearly not suffering from any serious damage, looked worse for wear since they’d all been taken by surprise. It was quick reaction times and clever team work alone that had saved any of the civilian guests from getting hurt. As soon as the window had been broken in Helen, Laura, and Pepper had rushed to get all the children out of the line of fire to safety. Hank and Hope brought up their rear, squared up but obviously unarmed.

Steve hadn’t had his shield and Bucky’s ever present handgun had run out of bullets early into the fray. Natasha and Clint, while still armed with easily concealed daggers, had both been in rather expensive looking clothes that were now torn nearly passed decency. Sam and Rhodey hadn’t had any gear and Scott and Peter were both without their suits, so the four of them had been tossed around rather liberally, Peter especially. Tony had been able to call a suit just in time to turn the fight in their favor, but it had taken longer than it should have against mere men. Even Nazi enhanced ones. If Thor, Wanda, or Vision had actually been in attendance things might have ended sooner. 

Wade groaned as he regrew his knee caps, masked face pushed to the dead Hydra experiment’s back, and thought about all the terrible things he was going to do to Bob the next time he saw him. 

Things were basically quiet now as Bruce collapsed in an exhausted heap, Tony hurrying over to drape a blanket over him. Steve had his head dipped down close to Bucky’s and they were talking quietly, discussing a possible plan of action. Sam was sprawled on the ruined couch, breathing deeply and Rhodey jokingly asked if he wanted a beer to which he merely raised a finger. Scott limped his way towards the elevator to tell the others it was safe to come out now.

“Some party.”

Deadpool picked his head up to shoot Peter a wink before rolling onto his back with a sigh. The younger man had picked himself up from behind the couch and limped over to his husband, wiping the blood from his lip on the sleeve of his dress shirt. The merc with the mouth thought he looked pretty hot all things considered.

“I don’t know how we’re gonna top it for Ellie’s birthday.”

The elevator dinged and the kids came flooding out to check on their parents. Cooper and Lila crowded Clint near the not destroyed end of the bar, Laura close behind with a concerned frown and Nathaniel clutched close to her chest. Cassie was already held in Scott’s arms, Hope hovering nearby for the moments the girl turned around seeking her. Hank walked behind them. Ellie came out of the elevator hand-in-hand with Pepper and Wade heaved a sigh of relief as she caught sight of him and immediately rushed over, only slowing when Peter warned her to be careful. They both agreed the younger man picking her up and taking a knee beside Wade would be better than letting her crawl into his non-existent lap. Peter had covered his lower half up with a blanket Tony brought over.

“Are you okay, daddy?” She sounded as if she had been crying. Wade gave her a thumbs up, stifling a shudder as he got new shin bones.

“Right as rain, princess, Petey was protecting me the whole time!”

Peter rolled his eyes, one of which was swollen shut and lifted Ellie away from the mess that was Wade’s form. They’d piled pillows over the dead agent’s body so it looked like he was simply reclining in luxury as Eleanor looked down on him. Her eyes were puffy, and she leaned her head on Peter’s shoulder with a sniffle. The sudden turn the evening had taken had left her shaken and more than ready to head back to their quiet home.

“Are you okay, Peter?” she asked, voice small and wet. The spider’s heart about broke as he hugged her close, only then beginning to feel the crippling fear and panic that had set in when the attack started. He’d been so afraid of something happening to the little girl.

“I’m fine,” he assured.

The little family stayed huddled together like all the other little families in the room that made up their one big family. Steve had reluctantly called in Fury so they were all staying put until the director arrived much to Wade’s displeasure. Ellie was pleased with the idea of seeing Agent Coulson again, however, and seemed to settle down the longer they all sat in companionable silence. She spoke quietly with Peter and her father about how the party had been going before being interrupted; about how she and Cassie were now best friends, and how she really liked Lila, but wasn’t too fond of Cooper. She claimed he was a gross boy, but when asked what prompted this opinion answered only that Lila had told her so. And she should know considering that was her brother. Peter and Wade chuckled.

Tony came by to check on them, wrapping Peter and Ellie into a fierce hug while shooting Wade a look over his son’s shoulder. The mercenary had probably killed the majority of the attackers and defended the tower and the team honorably. Wade waved him off, reeling in the feeling of each individual toe popping back into existence on his brand new feet. Bruce was still out cold behind the bar with Helen keeping an eye on his vitals. Everyone was taking it easy.

When Fury came it was with Coulson and Maria and a whole team of agents that swept the room with body bags and toe tags. Bucky had already hidden himself deep within the tower and the children were ushered out by Pepper and Laura again, but not before Ellie greeted Phil and Maria and was introduced formally to Fury who somehow managed a smile for her. The adults were all left in shock after that little display.

“I told you she was a mutant,” Tony beamed proudly. “She made Nick Fury smile, no way she’s not magic.”

Clint, Natasha, and Sam all agreed while Steve, Scott, and the Pyms merely smiled. They’d all been very taken with Wade’s daughter and couldn’t truly fault Fury for smiling at her. Peter felt a twinge of pride in his chest and snorted out a laugh when Wade winked at him again, finally on his feet again, scarred legs bared to all.

“Told ya she was a heartbreaker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! I knew what I wanted this chapter to be but wasn't sure how to approach it!
> 
> HEADCANNONS FOR THE CHAPTER:  
> -Wanda and Vision are on a romantic get away and that's why they weren't present  
> -Thor's in Asgard; Jane and Darcy didn't attend the party because they would have felt awkward w/o him  
> -Matt wanted to come but had to handle a crime in Hell's Kitchen and of course Foggy wouldn't dream of going without him; too many supers!  
> -clearly some stuff from winter soldier is apparent, but I'm trying to more or less leave that movie out of this story for various reasons. canon divergent after all  
> -Sam and Rhodey are best frenemies  
> -Natasha and Bruce are still close but platonically so  
> -KIDS AGES  
> \--Ellie, 4  
> \--Cassie Lang, 5  
> \--Lila Barton, 6  
> \--Cooper Barton, 8  
> \--Nathaniel Pietro, 1
> 
> AUTHORS NOTE:  
> from here on out the story will be like a series of one shots into Peter, Wade, and Ellie's life together. Varying lengths. Some chapters will have continuing storylines and be marked as such. I'll try to list Ellie's age at the beginning of each so the passage of time is clear. They're will be a lot of family bonding and team interactions but also action and suspense and all that good stuff!  
> Thanks for reading!


	8. First Day

Eleanor figured her first day at her new preschool could have gone better. From the moment she’d woken up to Peter’s emergency phone blaring from the living room, the morning had been hectic. Her daddy had rushed in already half dressed in his Deadpool costume to usher her out of bed and into the first-day outfit they had picked out together the night before. After brushing her teeth and pulling her hair into a bun, the two of them tripped into the living room to find Peter throwing a peacoat over his Spidey gear while simultaneously scrawling out a label on Ellie’s Hello Kitty lunchbox.

The little family rushed out the door, the two men each grabbing one of the girl’s hands as they walked out onto the street. Peter had his phone pressed to his ear assuring his daddies that they’d be on their way just as soon as they dropped Ellie at school. Eleanor listened as her own daddy explained how much fun she was going to have and how many friends she was going to make on her first day. They had all toured the place the week before and deemed it the best choice for multiple reasons the least of which not being that Cassie Lang also went there.

At their brisk pace -Ellie nearly jogging to keep up and giggling all the while- they reached The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development in record time, the two men lifting her clear off the ground as they rushed up the front steps. Ellie laughed as they set her down, looking around with curious eyes as Peter hurried to the front desk to sign her in. There were children all around, clinging to their parents’ pant legs as they prepared to be dropped off. Plenty were even younger than her and snuggled down into strollers. She stuck close to her daddy’s side, not missing the way people stared and gave them a wide birth at his bright red spandex.

Her daddy and Peter had talked to her about how even though most people would know she was related to Deadpool, she shouldn’t let anyone know they also lived with Spiderman. Peter’s identity was actually secret for the most part, unlike many of the Avengers, and so Ellie had crossed her heart and hoped to die that she’d never let anyone know who he was really. She smiled, excited about their big family secret, as the younger man approached with a smile that was strained but still genuine. They really were in a rush.

They forewent meeting any fellow parents to take Ellie straight to her classroom and as they approached the door labeled ‘Butterfly Classroom’ the little girl started to feel slightly nervous. It was the middle of the year and she was starting over somewhere brand new again. Her backpack bounced against her back as they walked into the colorful class and her eyes flitted over everything quickly. There was plenty of stuff her old school had had like a cubby corner and plenty of low tables to color or eat snack on. There were already children inside playing in various centers and Ellie gulped as she remembered Cassie was in a different room since she was almost ready to start kindergarten.

Peter took her backpack and lunchbox and went further into the room as her daddy took a knee by her side. She could tell he was smiling wide behind his mask and tried to smile back. She knew she couldn’t start crying because the two superheroes had to rush off and save the day. Emily had used to tell her that crying didn't change the plan and so it was easier to just skip it. 

“You’re gonna do great,” Deadpool enthused, squeezing her shoulders lightly. The little girl nodded, letting out a quick laugh as he leaned forward and delivered an overly loud, smacking kiss to her cheek through his mask. “Petey-Pie and I will be back to get you in a few hours.”

“Alright,” Peter huffed as he approached again. He’d put her bag in a cubby labeled with her name and her lunch in the fridge in the class kitchen. “I talked to your teacher and she seems really nice!”

Eleanor peaked around the spider’s shoulder as he also took a knee, spotting a friendly looking woman in a paint smeared smock that she recognized from their tour. All around the room were other, younger adults in white t-shirts with the school’s name on the front. They were cleaning tables and picking up toys and interacting animatedly with the children. They all looked friendly enough.

“I think you’ll really like it,” Peter continued, her daddy nodding in agreement. Eleanor put on a brave smile, not letting the tears pricking her eyes spill as the two men pulled her into a group hug, planting kisses on her hair as they wished her a good day, reminded her to eat all her lunch, and promised to be back soon. When they pulled away and rushed out the door she told herself she was only a little upset and that she would get used to the feeling with time. 

The classroom door had a wide floor-to-ceiling window on one side that looked into the hallway, and so Ellie saw as Peter halted in his jog from the room. He called something to Deadpool who kept right on running as his partner doubled back to the Butterfly room where Eleanor still stood right inside the doorway. She perked up as her daddy’s husband came back to her, hoping secretly that he was coming to say she could start school another day and take her home. The young man crouched down, looking truly harried now as he dug deep into his coat pocket.

“One more thing, Eleanor,” he huffed out. From inside his pocket he pulled a gold chain that had a small star dangling from the end of it. “Tony made this for you for your first day. Don’t take it off okay?”

He slipped the necklace over her bun and around her neck, the star bouncing off the front of her jumper. It was pretty and sparkly and she really liked it. She knew she would have to thank Tony for the beautiful gift later, but at that moment settled for launching herself at Peter for one last hug. For being in such a rush, the spider took his time to hug her right back, squeezing her to his chest.

“I’m going to miss you,” she admitted, voice small in a way she could tell toar at the young man as he hugged her even tighter. She didn’t like the feeling she got as he pulled away, untangling her hands from his coat and dropping one more kiss to her forehead.

“I’ll miss you too, but me and daddy will be back soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

She knew Emily wouldn’t have liked to see her eyes watering and her lip quivering while getting dropped off, so she sniffled and stepped back as Peter stood up again, his own face twisted unhappily. Crying wouldn't change the plan. 

“Have a good day!” the voice came just as Peter’s pocket started buzzing and because Ellie turned to look up at the young woman that had called out, she didn’t see Peter curse as he checked his phone. He left at last with one final wave and a smile and Ellie watched him sprint away through the window.

The woman that had waved Peter off was short like Emily and had skin the same shade as Ellie herself. She offered her hand and Deadpool’s daughter took it warily and let herself be lead further into the classroom.

“What’s your name?”

“Eleanor. My daddy calls me Ellie.”

“Nice to meet you, Ellie. My name’s Miss Maria.”

Miss Maria wasn’t the teacher for the classroom, she was a teacher’s assistant. She was one of the people in the white shirts. She showed Ellie all the different play centers in the room -dramatic play, blocks, art, table toys, library- and explained what kind of behavior was allowed in each one. Block structures couldn’t be built up passed her belly button and library was a strictly quiet center. She also told Ellie what the schedule was like every day and Eleanor tried to commit it to memory. It was 8 o’clock in the morning so right now there was about one hour before they went outside to play. She tried not to think about how many hours it’d be until Peter and her daddy came back.

Eleanor decided art was the center she wanted to start her day with and Miss Maria sat in the large, adult chair as she settled into one of the smaller ones meant for children. There were two other little girls already at the center, but after asking her name they didn’t seem to want much else to do with her. Miss Maria talked with them all cheerily, asking about their works of art and making sure to put their names and the date at the bottom of each piece of paper they doodled over.

Ellie was drawing a picture of her family, determined to finally put some art up on their fridge in the brownstone, when something bumped her from behind causing the brown crayon she had been using to make Peter’s hair to scratch over the page, leaving a brown line through the yellow sun. Emily had taught her long ago to not whine and to use her words when something upset her, so with a frown on her face she turned to the small group of boys.

“Hey, you messed up my picture.”

“No, I didn’t!” one boy bit back immediately, frowning at her with angry green eyes.

“Yes, you did,” she explained calmly, noticing they now had Miss Maria’s attention, “You bumped me and made my crayon go the wrong way.”

“Whatever,” the boy sighed, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly in a way that would have gotten Eleanor a smack on the rear. “I don’t care!”

“Hey!” The harsh voice made all the children jump and the boy immediately looked chagrined as he turned to Miss Maria who now had a deep set frown on her face. “That’s not how we talk to friends in school, Ignatius. Apologize to Eleanor and then go find a new center.”

The boy muttered a quick apology before scurrying off, some of his friends following while others split off to find different activities. Miss Maria went back to being smooth and pleasant as she told Eleanor how she liked the way she’d used her words to let Ignatius know why she was upset with him. Ellie nodded absently, thinking to herself that she never wanted to have Miss Maria be scolding her.

The rest of the morning passed in relative pleasantness. Ellie met more of the children during circle time and spent the first snack break chatting between bites of graham cracker with a friendly girl named Harmony who had birds on her dress. Afterwards the two played house with Miss Maria with the TA acting as the father while Harmony was the mother and Ellie herself the little baby. It was during this game that Harmony stated she had two mommies, but was okay playing a game with a mommy and a daddy. Eleanor explained how she lived with her daddy and his husband and Miss Maria’s eyes twinkled warmly throughout the whole conversation. 

When it came time to go outside that was when things went downhill. In Eleanor’s opinion at least and, she would later reason, probably everyone else's as well. 

Harmony was pulled away by a set of girls eager to play tag and so Ellie wandered to the sandbox alone, still bundled into her sweater from home since the day was cool. She set to building a small sand castle, only picking her head up when a gaggle of laughter would come nearby; usually kids chasing a ball. Miss Maria was way off in the distance minding a grassy area. Watching the sandbox was a thin young man called Mister Sean. All was well. 

She stopped picking her head up after a while because none of the kids that came by seemed to want to play with her which is why it took a small foot stamping onto the rear wall of her mighty castle to realize someone had come over. Sand kicked up into her face and eyes and she stood, fists already trying to rub out the tiny invaders. While she did this Ignatius finished demolishing her castle, laughing all the while. 

“Your castle was dumb!” he lisped, spittle flying onto her face as she frowned at the freckles splattered across his nose. “And your necklace is dumb!”

Just as Mister Sean moved to step in, Ignatius reached out a grubby hand and snatched at her star, the chain snapping across the back of her neck. He tossed it across the sand and Eleanor’s wide eyes began to water as an ugly feeling began to claw its way up her chest, choking her up. Ignatius was yanked away and Harmony materialized at her side all soft words and comforting pats, but it was too late. 

Even though she knew crying wouldn't change the plan Eleanor suddenly felt big, fat tears leaking down her face as her breath hiccuped into tiny sobs. She wasn't crying about the necklace she told herself even though she wasn't happy about that. The necklace could be fixed; Tony was a genius, he could fix anything. She was crying because this was the first time since Emily was ‘decommissioned’ that she'd spent any real time away from her daddy. And the first time since his return that she'd spent any real time away from Peter. 

And it was hard. 

And Ignatius was mean. 

And Harmony couldn't be with her all day. 

And her beautiful new necklace was ruined. 

And she just wanted to go home; her heart was hurting.

Ignatius was put in time out while Mister Sean picked up her chain, the star having skittered off under the sand somewhere. He promised to put the useless bit of metal back into her cubby, but this didn't ebb her sadness and instead she just cried harder thinking about how angry Peter's daddy would be that she couldn't even keep her special gift safe for one day. This thought lapped into thinking about how Emily would be upset with her for crying too much and she was crying even harder.

“It’s okay, Ellie, don’t-”

Harmony’s sentence was cut off by a sound like storming wind bursting over the playground. Immediately children were screaming and TAs were rushing to gather them and head for cover. A shelter in place. But before things grew absolutely hectic, a figure zoomed overhead and hovered in the air. Eleanor squinted through her tears, just barely recognizing the suit.

“Step away from the girl,” a voice boomed through the air.

“Holy shit, is that Ironman?” Mister Sean gasped, hand fisted in Ellie’s sleeve where he had been preparing to yank her to safety. The suit of armor was faced towards them, glowing eye slit hiding whoever was piloting if it were anyone at all. “I can’t believe-”

The suit dropped to the ground landing on a knee that split the concrete all around it. It wasn’t the Ironman suit, but instead a grey drone of sorts that stomped towards them. When Mister Sean attempted to pick Eleanor up, the suit raised its arm, cannon blaster now aimed at the young man.

“Step away from the girl,” it repeated, voice robotic. Sean jumped back from Ellie as if he’d been burned, instead snatching up a steadily weeping Harmony and running for safety. All children had been returned inside and put on lockdown. Teachers and a few brave assistants shuffled at the edge of the suit’s range, contemplating how far they should go to remove Eleanor from its side.

Her tears had stopped when the suit landed, replaced by a shocked silence as she watched it approach and take up a post at her side, arms raised up to ward anyone off, cannons at the ready. 

“I am here to protect Eleanor Camacho, please stay back, and no harm will come to you.”

Eleanor simply sat in the sandbox, not so much frightened as concerned. She knew the suit worked for Tony and it said it was there to protect her, but she couldn’t figure why. Had something happened to her daddy and Peter?

“Why are you here?” she called up to it, free to move at will though the suit shifted if she went more than three feet away. “Where’s daddy?”

“I am here to protect Eleanor Camacho, please stay back, and no harm will come to you.”

It repeated this phrase in timed intervals for about five minutes before the sound of another suit approaching yanked everyone’s attention to the sky. Eleanor had been sifting through the sand looking for her star. Overhead another, more familiar suit approached with what looked like two large sacks carried from its hands until one jumped down, falling to the earth and landing in a poised crouch of blue and red. Spiderman.

Eleanor barely had time to squeal in delight before she was being pulled in by a string of webbing, her protector suit going offline. She huffed as she slammed into Peter’s chest, his arms immediately going around her. He was hot to the touch and trembling. Possibly from exhaustion.

“Are you okay?”

She didn’t get the chance to answer before the other ‘sack’ landed right beside them, having been dropped from a far less bone breaking height. Deadpool had his katanas drawn and was circling them as if performing an elaborate fan dance. But with swords.

“Alright everybody back the FUCK up!” he shouted, causing the preschool staff to jump and scramble back further. Over Peter’s shoulder Ellie spotted Miss Maria looking about ready to faint and waved to her. “Who’s the dipshit that thinks they can mess with my kid, huh?”

“Alright, alright,” this voice is half way to exhausted and miles passed what Ellie thinks is referred to as exasperated. “I think I can clear this all up before we end up on the nightly news.”

As Tony promised, they did not end up on the nightly news. Even though the police were called and half the block shut down, a surprising amount of what was referred to as ‘an outrageous waste of precious NYPD time and resources’ can be forgiven with cash. Eleanor sits squished between her daddy and Peter as Tony smooth talks and bribes them out of any serious trouble with the law. With the school Pepper waltzes in as if having already planned a meeting weeks in advance and explains calmly that should word of Eleanor’s identity or her connection with several members of the Avengers team be revealed, the administration will find themselves in a mess of legal red tape so thick it is unlikely they’ll ever see the end of it.

“Your successor’s successor would still be hearing from us,” she had threatened the director, a thin lipped woman with glasses too large for her aging face. A flurry of signatures later and the redhead had bid them good day, dropping a kiss to all their cheeks except Wade who instead she smacked when he moved in for a hug.

“What about the teachers and other kids?” Peter huffed behind his mask as they all trudged down the main steps towards a waiting limo what feels like years later, but was likely less than an hour. Tony had long ago sent his suit away and so fiddles with his cufflinks as he answers.

“Wanda’s gonna stop by and handle that,” he says lightly, shooting Ellie a playful wink as he gestures for her to hop into the car. “She’s found a whole new depth to her power since she’s been studying with Vision.”

“The kids still call it studying,” Wade jokes, crashing into the back of the limo with a sigh. Peter follows after, immediately yanking off his mask and Eleanor sees that his eye, that had finally shed the last of its yellow bruising from her party, is now blackened again. “Good to know.”

Tony snorts, turning to Eleanor with an exaggerated smiled.

“So,” he pats her knee, “Besides the fact I need to make you distress signal necklace stronger than some snot nosed little punk, how was your first day?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I work at a preschool.  
> That's literally all I have to say about this (I'm exhausted, goodnight)


End file.
